Senior Muslim cleric ready with plan to quell Ayodhya crisis

Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, senior vice president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), declared on Wednesday, that he was ready with a proposal, which if accepted by the Board, would help settle the vexed religious dispute of Ayodhya within this year itself.

Two days before the September 24 High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suits, the cleric, known for his liberal and unconventional views, the cleric, hinted he was in touch with Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Dwarka.

“The Court would give its verdict on the title suits on Friday. I would get active immediately after, say by Saturday. I am doing all this as I do not want India to become a Pakistan,” he said.

He made the revelation while speaking to select journalists on Wednesday, soon after a peace conference of intellectuals and religious leaders at the Lucknow Press Club, from where peace appeals were made, ahead of the High Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute.

“Even if my first proposal was rejected by the AIMPLB, I would present yet another workable option. I am hopeful that my proposals would find favor with the Board and the Community. But, I have always believed that the country comes first, the community later,” he said. The cleric, who had created a stir about four years back, when he first correctly predicted the date on which the Eid moon would be sighted, said, “The Friday’s court verdict is all about the ownership of the piece of land, where Hindus believe that Lord Ram was born. But, there is a larger issue –The peaceful co-existence of both the communities, and my proposal(s) are aimed at ensuring that Hindus and Muslims continue to live in peace.”

Earlier speaking at a conference of intellectuals, he said, “I would have loved to take a peace pledge, holding Quran on one hand and Geeta, on the other. Some may find it odd, but I also read the Geeta. It’s strange that people continue to talk about saving temples and mosques, which are built by human beings but none cares to think of humans, who are created by the almighty.”

He said, “Left to choose between a mosque and a human, I would always prefer a human. A mosque or a temple if razed could be rebuilt. But a human life, the gift of the God, is any day more precious.”